October 2010 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Where do you eat dinner?
I'm curious about where you ladies eat dinner with your husband. I'm not talking restaurants, I'm talking location in your home. There's said to be statistics showing that eating together as a family does wonders for the family for several reasons.
So, what are your current eating locations? Kitchen? Dining room? TV trays? Together? Separately?
What's your eating situation like?
Re: Where do you eat dinner?
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I work from home a couple/few days a week, and work at the dining room table (which is our only table). Because I make such a mess of the table with my computer, notebooks, sticky notes, etc., there isn't a lot of room to eat dinner.
So we eat at the coffee table in the living room in front of the TV
. We are always together, and do usually talk, though, and he'll spend some time in the kitchen with me while I'm cooking, which is always nice.
Once Carter is old enough to eat solid foods at the table, I will definitely be relocating my "office" and we will have dinner at the table together as a family.
Megan & Chris
We eat at the dining room table every night during the week. On weekends we tend to eat on TV trays in the living room while watching movies or something. It didn't occur to me until very recently that we may be starting a bad habit. I do not want my kids eating on TV trays in fron of the television, ever.
I suddenly feel the urge to use the trays for serving purposes (as we originally planned when we registered for them) and kick the habit now before it becomes our way of life.
I realize this may seem silly, but when reading the countless studies over the years of what that family time can do for your relationship and later on for your kids - I certainly want to do the right thing when it comes to the easy stuff such as our dinner location!
Just one example of an article on this topic.
For now, we eat in the living room too, always together. If we have any company over, we eat at the dining table and once we have a family, the dining table will be the only place (like Erin, both of us were raised eating dinner as a family almost every night of the week at the table).
For now, we enjoy our average dinner with Jeopardy on the tele, or if we've made something special, will put some music on and open a bottle of wine, but still cozy in the living room.
Most of the time when we have a meal together we eat at the dining room table, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There are occasions when we use the TV trays and eat in the family room, but maybe only once or twice a month.
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est. 10/10/10
S/O.. don't need to make another post -
Do you guys ever eat separate meals? I mean, perhaps you are having chicken and he's eating pizza?
We don't. I get annoyed when I hear that people make/have two separate meals. I don't even know why it annoys me, I just think it's weird.
We have before...just b/c DH is so d@mn picky. Usually on Sunday we come up with a menu for the week and sometimes I'll feel like eating a salad and DH refuses so then it's up to him to make his own meal. But I can only think of twice this has happened.
Otherwise we eat the same thing (although I may modify mine, like beans w/enchilada's, etc)
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Only if we are having leftovers or frozen dinners. There is one time when I made Thai Curry Chicken, knowing that he may not like it (he is not a fan of most Asian food). He didn't care for it, so he cooked a pizza. Otherwise, we usually eat the same food. When we have kids I refuse to be the mom who cooks separate meals for each of my kid's preferences. I know that's easier said than done, as kids can have strange food aversions. But I'm not a short order chef. ;-)
We always eat the same thing if we're making it fresh at home.
It's usually only when one of us is sick or if I'm having a crazy work week (where I'm glued computer furiously writing till 2 am every night, but it hasn't happened in a long while) that we will eat different dinners. Like when I'm sick, I will eat nothing but chicken broth, it's the only thing that tastes good.
DH was a very picky, but he's improved sooo much over the past few years, it's really amazing when I think about it. Food Network has helped a lot, a long with my 'baby-steps' hints towards eating healthier. Now he even likes brussel sprouts because Tyler Florence made a hash once that looked good, DH really wanted to make, so we did, and now he's in love, lol.
Cooking together is pretty much my favorite thing in the world
We eat in the living room, but always together. Our only table is in the living room (our kitchen is just ridiculous) and is usually covered in crap (homework, a puzzle, projects, etc), so we usually eat on the couch. This will definitely change when we have kids. We both ate dinner (at the table) as a family growing up.
As for the S/O: Usually only when we're eating left overs or having a fend for yourself night (which usually consists of leftovers, cereal, sandwiches, etc).
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This is us, minus the jeopardy (I get off work too late).
Chris is the complete opposite of picky (thank God!) , so anything I cook, he'll eat, and thoroughly enjoy.
So we typically eat the same thing, except nights that are "skip its or fix your own" - in which case I do not feel like cooking, so we both just find something in the house that looks good to us...
Megan & Chris
We almost always eat together. Usually it is at the kitchen table but if we are watching a movie or something special we may eat at the coffee table in the living room. Both rooms are open to the kitchen.
DH does the cooking. We usually eat the same thing but he is a more meat oriented person and I like vegetables and salds to help lose weight. So sometimes he fixes me a different meal with some of the same ingred when he knows I am craving veggies.Clean out the frig night can alos lead to different meals/combinations.
We have a formal dining room which we have never used. Unfortunately we only have 4 antique chairs that match the antique table. We keep looking for more. I want to have a few couples over for a formal dinner party.
Apologies.. I can't get off the dinner subject.
Hannah mentioned menu of the week.. do others do this? I've heard this concept helps keep the meals from becoming boring and helps saves money on groceries, etc. but I just don't get it. I barely know what I want for dinner at night when I'm driving home from work - so I don't get how you know what you're in the mood for four days from now?
Someone explain it to this special girl, niiiice and slowwww, please.
I plan a menu for the week as well. Which is weird, because I am very cravings-driven. But what I have found is that if I know what I am going to be eating on Tuesday night, for example, then I start looking forward to that meal. It's less about what I "feel" like eating and more about starting to want what is coming. And planning for the week DEFINITELY saves lots of time and money. I go to the grocery store once a week, I try to plan my menu around what's on sale (doesn't always happen though) and sometimes I even do all of the chopping and slicing at once (chop all of the onions when I'm cooking on Sunday, for example, then bagging them according to the recipe measurements for the rest of the week). I admit that's only on the rare occasion when I'm feeling especially organized.
DH and I work different shifts. We're usually only both home for dinner on Sunday and Monday. We always eat together those nights, mostly at the coffee table watching TV, but sometimes at the dinner table with the stereo on if he's trying to be romantic.
We mostly eat the same thing. I don't really like fish and most kinds I don't like at all, DH does. So if DH wants Salmon, he'll make me chicken and we'll eat the same side dishes.
I would like to plan meals ahead, but I am just SO not good at that.
Now that is interesting to me. So you basically become in the mood for it since you've been thinking about it. Nice.
So how do you start? You check out what's on sale and plan meals around that - and if you don't come up with enough meals based on the sales you just get other stuff to fill the days? Do you track meals somewhere? I find it hard to remember meals I made in the past and it's annoying, I feel like I ended up making the same 11 things lol
I feel like such an asshat for not knowing any of this by now. Oh well.
We are very similar to Erin.
I ask DH if there's anything special/particular he'd like to eat that week. On my grocery list on the top I always right out M- Tu- Wed- etc. and fill in with the meal idea. We don't tend to stick to the "assigned" days for each meal, but then when I'm at the store, I know exactly what to get, which helps.
Like Erin said, if I come across something on sale at the store, then it's likely that I'll buy that and switch up the menu and she was also accurate in saying that you get "excited' for the meal you have planned. At least, I do.
But I mean, yes, our minds change too...sometimes we'll plan on something like tacos for dinner and I'll get home and think, crap I totally want pasta and then I make that instead. However, besides a few basics (spaghetti, marinara, breadcrumbs, eggs, rice, mac& cheese), our cupboards/fridge typically only has food that's on the menu for that week.
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I think this is where I fail to begin with. My mom just pulled a motherly card last weekend that she needs to take me grocery shopping and show me the "staples" that should always be in my cabinets. She says I keep things to "specific" or random instead of having things that can go with several meal ideas.
This is what I get for having a mom anddddd dad that can both cook amazingly. I am not making the Italians proud right now!
We menu plan every week - it was originally driven by low income when DH was 'under-employed' but we got so used to it, I don't know how to shop any other way, lol!
First, open up a word document (or a Google Doc, I'm a big fan of being able to access this stuff from any computer) and try to make a list of every dinner meal you know how to make (it's up to you if you want to include sides). I've also sat down with a good recipe magazine, or my recipe basket and just start entering in meals that look easy, meals you love, and maybe a few challenges.
Second, try to keep good records of recipes. I have a special bookmark tab in my computer, and a basket for cards and printed sheets. While most of what we make is tweaked for our preferences, recipes are great for a 'base' and for inspiration (especially when you're tired)
(And KISS - Keep it simple, stupid. 80% of the recipes that I have are meals that require 30 minutes or less of work - not counting time in the oven, or simmering. any more than that, and your motivation to keep the list that night is shot)
Third, write out, down a sheet of paper or in an excel doc (or Google Spreadsheet), Mon through Sun. First mark off a the days you know you won't eat in (dinner with friends fri night, going to be too busy on Tuesday, plan on eating out), then start to fill in meals to a day.
Sun x
Mon chili
Tues jalepeno pork tenderloin
WEd fajita's
Thurs salmon cous
Fri alfredo chx
Sat x
with a spreadsheet, you can just keep it going, adding to the same doc every week, makes meal planning even faster once you fill it up a bit, just mix a match from weeks prior.
Tips: We only pick one meal a week that is either new to us, or we know is pretty involved, usually for a weekend day. It sucks to come home after a long day and think, "$hit, I'm going to spend 3 hours in the kitchen because we said we'd have chicken cordon bleu. eff. lets get pizza."
We also pick days that we know we'll be tired or short on time (like Scot has band practice on one day) so I know to put meal that is super easy, like a simple stir fry.
We also try to make sure we don't have two many meals with the same protein, and that we are incorporating enough vegetables in the week. I try to make a short list of sides for the week, just buy them, them mix and match with protiens the night off (like broccoli, spinach, cous cous, rice, etc.).
Try to have a couple easy option always on hand that's not on your list. For us, it's frozen cheese ravioli and pesto sauce, and hopefully a random vegetable in the fridge to toss in.
Forth - now, go down the list of dinners and just start to write down each protein, veg, and carb you'll need for those meals. Then I'll go and check the fridge and pantry for items we already have and cross them off. I try to also make a list of snacks and lunch stuff (fruits, bread, chips, etc)
The real trick is going to the store and ONLY buying what is on your list.
Once I'm home, I'll sometimes get some things prepped for later in the week... like if we're having chicken twice that week, as I trim it for the first meal, I'll finish trimming for the next meal, zip lock bag it, and now our Wednesday night meal prep will go even faster.
Wow. long. I hope this helps. It gets so much easier after you've done it a for a few weeks. And, I'm super aware of everything we have in our fridge and pantry at any given time, lol.
Wow, Em, you just blew my effn mind. I'm literally sitting here
I cannot wait to get home and re-read this tomorrow night before I head out shopping. We typically go every Monday for the week - but I never, ever get enough food for the week so we end up eating like crap by the end of the week.
Wow, I'm so thankful that you just shared that with me!! Geez.
Emily - great job putting all of that into words. that's essentially what I think in my head, but didn't know how to write.
Similarly to what she posted, often times on Mondays I know I'm a bit "slower" so I'll plan on making an easy meal then. On days I know I'll get home late I try to do a slower cooker meal so we won't eat too late.
And I've also been trying to do the one new recipe a week. It's fun to try something new and then our list of go-to ideas just gets bigger
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lol, no problem
I think making the big master list of everything you know is what helps a lot. Everytime I pull it up I suprise myself in someway - "oh yea! we haven't made fajitas in forever!" so I guess it helps keep dinner from getting boring. Being able to just pull a list up in a flash helps making a shopping list so much less painful for us.
I think the list will will help you realize what your "standard pantry items" are. Once you make that list, you'll see you do use tomato sauce like twice week often, so go a head and buy some extra cans.
And it's only every once and while that we feel like "ugh, chicken does not sound good at all tonight" when it's like our last meal on the 'plan'. So then we run to the store or just go out, it happens. But for the most part, we cook at home 5-6 nights a week without too many issues, and save sooo much money at the store compared to the haphazard grocery shopping we used to do. And sooo much less goes bad since I know we're going to eat it that week.
I honestly just learned so much for these last few posts. I can't wait to get started and see what I come up with, and then see how much money we start saving!
Thanks again, everyone!!
In October of 2009, we gave ourselves a challenge of trying 20 new dinner recipes in one month. It is like impossible, lol. We made 15 or so though, and that was a huge accomplishment.
For that, I sat down and spent a majority of a weekend scouring magazines and websites for new things that looked too to us and that were easy enough that we were confident we wouldn't cave in because of it.
It was a really cool experience, and I highly recommend it if you like to cook or want to make yourself learn to cook. But maybe say 10-15 new dinners in a month for a challenge- and dedicate a day or two planning the whole month out (crazy, I know), it takes dedication if you have that other thing called life going on in the background. We try to do one new dinner a week now, or at least 2 a month.
Great tips, Emily! A few other things that I do...first of all, I make a LOT of new recipes. I may only make our "standards" maybe 5 times a month. (But to put that in perspective, Matt works closes a 2-3 days a week, so I really only cook 3 dinners a week, on average). I blogstalk a LOT. Some of my favorites:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
http://annies-eats.com/
http://www.skinnytaste.com/
When you are stocking up on staples expect your grocery spending to be higher than average. Remember, you are stocking for future meals, so this will pay off in the long run. Also, when you see one of your staples on sale (especially if you also have a coupon) stock up! For example, during the holidays Target had Campbell's condensed soup on sale for 50 cents and I had a coupon for $1 off 3. Now I have cream of mushroom and cream of chicken for future meals, and it only cost me 50 cents for 3 cans!
Here's some of my staples:
Refrigerated:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cheese
- Butter
- Cream cheese
Freezer:
- Chicken breasts
- Beef
- Mixed vegetables
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Corn
Pantry:
- Cream of mushroom and/or chicken soup
- Broth (beef, chicken and/or veg) (Tip: If you don't use a whole can/box, pour it into ice cube trays and freeze. Next time you have a recipe that calls for broth, just thaw the amount needed for that recipe)
- Pasta (angel hair, ziti, fusilli)
- Rice (jasmine, arborio, brown)
- Bread crumbs
- Canned tomatoes (crushed, pureed, whole)
- Rotel
- Canned pumpkin
- Canned fruit (pears, peaches)
- Peanut butter
- Honey
- Bread
- Bagels
- Chocolate chips
Of course this is in addition to the typical flour, sugar, brown sugar, seasonings, oil, etc.
If I use an item from my staples then it goes on my grocery list, but that doesn't mean I buy it right away. If I don't need it for a recipe that week then I just wait for it to be on sale (so it goes from one grocery list to the next until I purchase it).
Whew, that was a lot longer than I planned. This system won't work for everyone. I'm just a little OCD.